It’s normal for free-to-play games to rely on monetization, but the eye-watering prices attached to some digital luxuries are much harder to justify.
Developed by Everstone Studio, Where Winds Meet was released worldwide last week for PlayStation 5 and PC after being available in China for about a year. It is widely considered one of the best open-world, free-to-play RPGs on the market. The game features a plethora of microtransactions, some of which can only be described as excessive. For example, a digital luxury boat can cost as much as $70,000. The Mirage Boat, the most expensive vehicle in the game, allows players to travel on water and host lavish parties for other players. While the appeal of such a cosmetic item is easy to understand, as well as the e-fame and attention it can bring, the potential price tag of a digital collectible can take anyone’s breath away.
Is this ship really 40.000$?
byu/AntonGrimm inwherewindsmeet_
68k$ for a boat????
byu/Individual-Level9193 inWhereWindsMeet
On the game’s subreddit, some users tried to calculate exactly how much the Mirage Boat cost the only Chinese player who currently owns it. It takes 170 Mirage Torn Pages to unlock the vehicle. These pages can be exchanged for Harmonic Cores at a 1:1 ratio in the Draw Shop. These cores can be obtained using the Celestial Draw Banner. Since it takes about 150 pulls to obtain a Harmonic Core, costing about $400, the Mirage Boat could cost as much as $68,000. However, if someone is lucky with their pulls, they could “get away” with spending as little as $40,000. Either way, it’s a significant amount of money for an item that ultimately has little value, even in the Where Winds Meet gaming experience.
Games like Where Winds Meet can continue to exist thanks to players like the new owner of the Mirage Boat. However, the psychology behind such extreme purchases is troubling. For this player, the boat’s value lies not in its function but in its rarity and high visibility. In the world of Where Winds Meet, this collector’s item is a fleeting status symbol that can disappear in an instant. This highlights the far-reaching consequences of the quest for validation, even in the digital world.
Source: WCCFTech, Gamepressure
